- Chiefs began their title defense with a win over the Texans.
- Patricks Mahomes was very lethal, throwing for three touchdowns without an interception.
- Rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was superb, rushing for one TD.
- Texans didn’t have the answer on how to stop the Chiefs’ attack.
Mahomes Leads KC to 10th Straight Win
If we include Super Bowl and two other victories in the last playoffs, the Chiefs currently have 10 consecutive triumphs. It seems that KC picked up where they left last year, as if the season never stopped.
That especially goes for Patrick Mahomes, who threw for 211 yards, 24-fo-32, three touchdowns, and not a single interception. The former MVP became the only player with three straight openers in which he had three or more touchdowns and wasn’t picked. Even though the yardage isn’t at his usual level, Mahomes’ impact on the game was decisive.
Andy Reid revealed the reason for this situation, saying that the Texans’ defensive coordinator used a bit different tactics than before.
“Pat did a nice job of checking it down,” Reid explained. “We had some deeper things that he decided to come down on because they were covered downfield.”
Houston took the lead first in tonight’s match, same as in the Divisional Round. Eventually, this game had the same ending as the one from this January.
David Johnson rushed for 17 yards to score a TD on his debut for Bill O’Brien’s squad. However, it seems that this only woke up the sleeping champions who would react pretty quickly.
The Chiefs were already up until the halftime, scoring 17 straight points during the second quarter. Overall, they had 31 unanswered points up to the point when Houston finally broke that stretch. Mahomes hit Kelce and Sammy Watkins for two touchdowns, and Harrison Butker scored a field goal from 29 yards.
Edwards-Helaire Explosive Debut
The last selection of this year’s first-round showed massive potential. Many feared what would happen with the Chiefs’ running game once Damien Williams opted out of the season due to health concerns. Yet, it appears that Reid has a perfect solution for this situation.
Edwards-Helaire rushed for 138 yards on 25 carries, the longest one 27 yards, which was, in fact, the TD run.
“He’s a tough son-of-a-buck. For how tall he is, man, he’s got the strength of somebody my size. He runs the ball like no one I’ve ever seen at that size, and it’s fun to play with,” said Travis Kelce on his new teammate.
Williams had 498 yards on the ground last year, while Edwards-Helaire already indicated that he might surpass that limit until the end of October.
After his TD at 4:07 into the third period, Tyreek Hill caught Mahomes’ pass 3:35 into the final period to make it 31-7.
Deshaun Watson had one touchdown toss, and that came with 7:15 to go, once he connected with Jordan Akins in the endzone, for 19 yards. The prolific QB would later carry the football for one yard before entering the promised land, decreasing the gap to 31-20. Though, Butker set the final score with 30 seconds to go, with a 19-yard FG.
Watson ended the night with 253 yards, 20-for-32, one TD pass, one interception, and one rushing TD. He was sacked four times.
His Texans meet Baltimore Raves at home next week, while the Chiefs play against the LA Chargers on the road.
